By Lorena Guzmán Hormazábal
(SciDev.Net) A deadly fungus that has plagued banana plantations in parts of Asia for three decades has now spread to Latin America, the heart of production, raising widespread alarm. But a team of international researchers has created a high-tech solution to help farmers limit the damage.
Using artificial intelligence (AI), researchers developed an app for mobile phones that can identify five diseases affecting banana plants, including Fusarium wilt, or Panama disease. The soil-borne fungus threatens the Cavendish banana, a variety that accounts for half of global banana production and the vast majority of international exports.
The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) declared a “national emergency” earlier this month after confirming that the Tropical Race 4 (TR4) strain of the disease was detected in Colombia – the first country in the region to be affected.